Hadi al-Mahdi

Freelance

September 8, 2011, in Baghdad, Iraq

Al-Mahdi, 45, a journalist, filmmaker, and playwright, was
shot in his Baghdad home by assailants using pistols outfitted with silencers.

Al-Mahdi had hosted a thrice-weekly radio show, "To Whomever Listens," on
independent Radio Demozy. The show covered social and political issues,
including government corruption, bribery, and sectarianism. A Shiite, al-Mahdi
had defended the rights of Sunnis.

On his Facebook page, al-Mahdi organized regular pro-democracy
demonstrations and publicized threats he said he had received. Growing fearful
for his safety, al-Mahdi had stepped down from the radio show about two months
prior to his death, news reports said.

Al-Mahdi had spent 18 years in exile, returning to Iraq in
2008. He is survived by his wife and three children.